From the materials used to fill your down jacket, to the conditions of the worker filling your down jacket, humanitarian and economic sustainability is something that has become increasingly important across the globe. At Seed Peoples Market, we are always partnering and building relationships with companies that seek to be humanitarian and ecologically sustainable, while providing a quality product that we can take on our next surf trip or simply use on the drive to work every day.

Photo: Patagonia, Tommy Schultz

Internationally, there is an organization that has crafted a rigorous list of qualifications for companies who are stepping up to combat global poverty and climate change. The B Lab, a non-profit organization that seeks to use “business as a force for good”, has created a certification called the “B Corporation”. Essentially, to be listed as one of the B Corporations, a company has to meet an exceedingly high standard of humanitarian and environmental quality. In addition, once named a B Corporation, the company agrees to continue developing an interdependency of business across the world, connecting people to the products they purchase.

Photo: Patagonia, Steven Gnam

Now, why does this matter? As we continue to observe the results of rapid climate change and the discrepancies in the way people are treated in the international workplace, it has become our responsibility to no longer flippantly shop, but to stand behind companies that seek to make the world a better place. In short, the clothes we wear and products we use become an extension of what we want to represent. Seed Peoples Market is proud to carry an astounding ten companies that have been awarded the distinction of B Corporation. They are:

As a store, it is exciting to join with such brilliant companies, as they continue to look at different ways to solve crises around the world utilizing their products. For example, Patagonia unveiled their “Traceable Duck Down” in this past year, Klean Kanteen has sought to positively impact the environment by joining the “1% For The Planet” organization, and Raven & Lily currently employ over 1,500 women at fair trade wages in impoverished nations. These are exciting times in the world market as we look to find solutions for global problems. As cliche as it may be, every single step of the process matters and as we step up consumer responsibility, not only will companies respond with a higher quality product, but we will see the well-being of fellow humans and our Earth grow. Partnering with these B Corporations, Seed Peoples Market is seeking to not only impact the world market for the better, but to continue to find ways to become a more environmentally sustainable and humane company.